Copyright activists, comedians, and streaming services have roiled during the last week over new efforts to pay comedians for their ownership of written material in addition to royalties for recordings of comedy albums. Right administrator Spoken Giants is in the middle of it. Some comedy albums have been removed from some streaming services. Click to untangle the controversy. Continue Reading
Jottings of Note
— The Best (Edison Research)
— Who’s Who (Podnews)
— Quick Study (SXM Media)
Sirius XM-owned podcast company Stitcher released an array of year-end statistics. They include a surge of new listening, and a survey of how podcasts of different sizes make money. Click through for some detail and a link to the entire thing. Continue Reading
In Podtrac’s recently released Top Podcasts ranker for November, we see the continuation of a sameness trend RAIN has been tracking for several months. The list measures Podtrac clients and is ranked by U.S. audience size. Click through for RAIN’s visual comparison, and Podtrac’s original November list. Continue Reading
Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) is announcing a deepened existing relationship with Australian TV network and podcast producer Network 10. The tie-up is a multi-year agreement for distribution, hosting, sales representation, and development of new podcast co-productions in 2022 and beyond. Click for details and Network 10’s existing podcasts. Continue Reading
Fewer new podcasts were dropped in November than in any month in a year, including last November. This according to the stats page at podcast stats company Listen Notes. There were 9.728 new shows launched in November, down from over 16,000 in October, and far fewer than the 87,448 new shows introduced in November, 2020. Continue Reading
Jottings of Note
— Just Don’t (James Cridland / Winslow Bright)
— Feelz of the Season (Deezer)
— Executive Layer (Spoken Layer)
NPR is reviving its College Podcast Challenge, founded last year as an offshoot of the PR Student Podcast Challenge for grades five through eight. “All it takes is a smartphone, a laptop computer, and a good idea,” NPR states. “We… Continue Reading
The Canadian Podcast Listener 2021, an annual consumer survey project produced by Signal Hill Insights, with support from TPX, has been released. In a broad sweep, the 2021 report portrays the Canadian podcast market as growing in listenership with advertiser-friendly consumers. Click through for metrics, graphics, and a download link. Continue Reading
Imagine Entertainment, founded by Brian Glazer and Ron Howard, has struck an exclusive co-production, distribution, and presumably monetization deal with iHeartMedia, bringing the TV/film company into podcasting. The partnership will collaborate to launch six new series over the next two years distributed through the iHeartPodcast Network. Continue Reading
In the November Top Podcast Publishers list from Podtrac, U.S. Unique Monthly Downloads were flat mon over month, and year over year. In the RAIN Remix we re-sort the ranker on an average per-show basis within each network. Click to the see info graphics. Continue Reading
James Cridland returns with the latest installment of his weekly column. In this edition, James enthuses about the first Infinite Dial UK released by Edison Research. Also, the all-podcast radio format has been dropped from two iHeartMedia stations after “dismal audience figures,” DAB in Brisbane, and how BBC Radio 4 dropped off the air. Continue Reading